


Noho ki ahau

by beaches_at_treasure_island



Series: In which Maori is slaughtered [4]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: I Will Go Down With This Ship, Implied Relationships, Implied Slash, M/M, Maori, Pre-Slash, butchered languages, hurt slade, quilson, slade speaks maori, sladiver - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-17 13:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3530537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beaches_at_treasure_island/pseuds/beaches_at_treasure_island
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slade is fighting an infection after the whole failed plan with the airstrip and rescuing Oliver. Oliver tries his best to take care of the other man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Noho ki ahau

As the days passed, after they missed the plane, Slade slipped into a sickness that left him feverish and generally unresponsive. Oliver had a hunch that it might kill the man if left alone too much longer, so he crafted a plan to go to Yao Fei’s cave and collect the healing herbs he had given Oliver.

Slade tossed and turned, fidgeted and flipped around in his small cot, muttering in Maori, or that’s what Oliver thought it was. The only word he could understand was ‘ _tamaiti._ ’ “ _Tamaiti, e toku aroha... Noho, kaua e haere... Tamaiti e kore e mahi... Toku... Aroha koe... Tēnā...”_

He had no clue what Slade was saying to or about him but maybe when the man was healthy again, he would teach Oliver. The younger man wanted to learn, wanted to be able to talk to Slade in his native language. He knew that he shouldn’t really care, but Ollie had the inkling that he was beginning to develop feelings for Slade, which would complicate this whole mess a lot.

Oliver wandered outside to check the proximity alerts and the snares and traps for small game. Someone had to do it, after all. He made sure to not wander too far away, though. He was sure that if Slade called for him, he’d hear it.

Sure enough, about half an hour later, as Oliver cleaned up after skinning a rabbit, he heard Slade called out, “ _Kia ora tamaiti_?” Oliver stood to return to the plane, about to shout back a reply, asking Slade to speak English, when Slade’s voice called out again, this time slightly panicked. “ _Tamaiti? Kei hea koe?_ ”

Oliver sighed and trotted back into the plane and hung the skinned rabbit over the hook by the doorway. Slade was struggling to get up from his cot. “Slade. Slade!” The man turned feverish eyes to the younger.

“ _Hea i koe? Mahue koe_ ,” Slade rasped accusingly.

“Um, I don’t know what you just said but it didn’t sound like something nice. Which is your default, if I’m being completely honest. Anyway, English please?” Oliver said, helping Slade back into the makeshift bed.

“Where did you go? You weren’t in the plane,” Slade muttered.

“I was checking the traps. I found a rabbit and just finished skinning it before you started calling out. Speaking of, I need to start the fire.”

“What? Why?”

“I need to cook it before it goes bad, Slade,” Oliver said exasperatedly.

“Where’s the rabbit?”

“Skinned and hung over there. I just need to cook it.”

“It will keep,” Slade said. “It can wait a few hours.”

“Fine,” Oliver groaned, “I guess I can go train until then.”

“ _Kahore, noho ki ahau_. Stay,” Slade told him.

“But I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be just outside, in the clearing.”

“ _Kahore_. Stay with me,” Slade rasped, shifting in the small cot to make room for Oliver. “I’m not ill enough to notice you haven’t been sleeping.”

“It’s the nightmares,” Oliver muttered in embarrassment. “I can’t shake them.”

“You never do,” Slade replied with haunted eyes. “C’mon, _konei moe_. Sleep.”

Oliver sighed but relented and climbed into the cot with Slade at his back. The man wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer. Oliver blushed a bit; this wasn’t helping his feelings problem.

“Moe, _toku aroha_ ,” Slade whispered against Oliver’s neck one last time before he fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Maori to English Translation:  
> noho ki ahau – stay with me  
> tamaiki, e toku aroha – child (used as kid/babe), my love.  
> noho, kaua e haere – stay, don’t go.  
> tamaiti e kore e mahi – child (used as kid/babe), don’t.  
> toku . aroha koe . tēnā . – mine. love you. please.  
> kia ora tamaiti – hey kid/babe  
> tamaiti? kei hea koe? – kid/babe? where are you?  
> hea i koe? mahue koe. – where were you? you left.  
> kahore - no  
> konei moe – sleep here  
> moe - sleep


End file.
